2019 BASS Classic - Guntersville

[JohnnyG]

I’ve only been bass fishing for the last 5 years and maybe I don’t know any better because I don’t tournament fish, but taking fish out of a lake and having a weigh in miles away (approximately 1hr) seems a little harsh on the fish to me. Read this small clip from an article I just read and let me know what you think.

“The win was a dream come true for Hollen, who qualified for the Championship via the B.A.S.S Nation trail in Oregon and the B.A.S.S. Nation Western Regional held on California’s Lake Shasta in May.

Now he’s locked up a spot in the Classic, which will be held at Alabama’s Lake Guntersville on March 6-8. Weigh-ins will take place in Birmingham, the city where B.A.S.S is headquartered.”

Article site: https://m.bassmaster.com/news/hollen-wins-2019-nation-champ-hartwell-0

Will they have huge tanks that will move the fish to Birmingham? Just curious.

 

[silvertalon]

The boat livewell gets pumped out and filled with fresh water and G Juice is added to help calm the fish. The boat recirculating pumps are left on manual. Sometimes, ice is added to the water to cool it and slow the metabolism of the fish as they use a lot less o2 in cool water. It is actually a smoother ride for the fish on the road than it is getting banged around on the lake. The weigh-in tanks have pumps with air stones to revive the water fast. Not many fish have been lost via this weigh-in method however, post weigh-in survival rate is another story. A lot of fish die later from stress. I'd like to see them weigh-in at the lake and just bring your biggest fish to the stage. The Major League Fishing format of immediate release is far superior.

 

[BustinBass197]

I agree, extremely stupid practice in my opinion. One of main reasons I quit tournament fishing is because of how poorly most tournaments take care of our resources. Especially in the summer! I have fished CFF tournaments and CBA and seen dozens of dead fish floating around behind weigh in station. These two organizations take pretty good care of their fish too. Bottom line is that fish do not ever need to be kept in a livewell for any lengthy period of time unless you are taking it home to eat.

 

[silvertalon]

For some reason the 5 fish orgs are unwilling to go down to a 3 fish limit. At least in summer. Look at the Skeeter
series on Texas lakes like Rayburn- Too many big bass fatalities- They are now a 3 fish limit. Some guys weigh 3 fish that go 30#. It has made a huge difference! I now weigh in with a cooler on wheels with a pump and 2 air stones in my weigh bag. The big problem with weigh bags besides the fact that oxygen is depleted in 2-3 min's is, when you lift on the handles the sides of the bag compress the fish and close their gills. Not good. I've not lost a single fish this year with my system and it seems like all my fish released are on steroids. Oxygen is the key. Frabile makes a flat bottom airated weigh bad but costs around $75. I also use my set-up because of my elbow tendon issues. I just can't lift and carry a heavy sac across the parking lot without injury.